“Liu Ling, last time you said you wanted this stable boy, but I heard you haven’t even laid a finger on him. Such a waste of a good thing—why don’t you just give him to me?” Princess Yangshi tossed the scissors in her hand to the ground, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Seeing the male lead looking like a helpless commoner being seized by a tyrant, Su Baiyue’s headache worsened.
Rescuing the hero once was enough—why was she forced into doing it again? This was practically pushing her to keep the male lead by her side.
Her goal was simple: to trample on the male lead’s dignity, ignite his potential, and help him meet the true “White Lotus” female lead. Even though Princess Yangshi would eventually end up in the male lead’s harem, that wasn’t supposed to happen now. It was meant to happen later when the male lead became emperor and took her as a captured concubine.
“Who said I didn’t want him?” Su Baiyue glared down at Lu An, who was curled up at her feet, confronting Princess Yangshi.
Princess Yangshi crossed her arms and sneered, “If you want him, then prove it to me. I’d love to see how exactly you plan to ‘want’ him.”
Everyone knew that Princess Ling Yun was pure and untouchable—how could she possibly tolerate the touch of a lowly stable boy?
Su Baiyue lowered her gaze toward Lu An. She knew that if she couldn’t prove that she wanted him today, Princess Yangshi would never give up, even if she walked away for now.
Lu An looked up, revealing his finely sculpted, delicate face. His eyes were slightly red, his eyelashes trembling as he gazed at Su Baiyue with an almost reverent intensity. His exposed shoulder gleamed pale and fragile, his whole demeanor weak and pitiful.
Su Baiyue could hardly imagine that this frail boy would one day become the fearsome demon of the battlefield, striking terror into the hearts of his enemies.
A sudden silence fell over the scene. Under the cold sunlight, the fairy-like beauty reached out from her wide white sleeves, extending her slender, jade-like hand toward Lu An.
Her pale fingers, soft and delicate, with a faint pink hue at the tips, hovered before him as she spoke in a cold, commanding tone, “Lick.”
Lu An trembled all over, breathing heavily. His eyes lowered, hiding the deep emotions within, as he lifted his neck and obediently licked her finger, with a reverence akin to worship.
Su Baiyue, panicking inside, secretly breathed a sigh of relief when the male lead complied so easily. But really, was it that simple for him to just give in? What happened to the fierce determination, the spirit of “I’d rather die than bend”? Had that all been eaten by the dogs?
The sensation of warmth and wetness on her fingertip was unnervingly clear. Su Baiyue, suppressing the flutter in her chest, quickly withdrew her hand, calmly wiping it clean before tossing the handkerchief to Lu An. She then hid her hand back inside her wide sleeve.
The delicate sleeve completely concealed the trembling of her fingers.
Male lead, are you that hungry that you’re licking this seriously, big brother?
Kneeling on the ground, Lu An’s lips pressed together tightly as he instinctively reached out, only to taste the cold emptiness left behind.
The gleaming trace of moisture sparkled in the cold sunlight, heating the air.
He wanted more, to taste more.
Clutching the handkerchief, Lu An lowered his gaze.
“Is this enough for you?” Su Baiyue coldly looked at Princess Yangshi.
Princess Yangshi gave a cold snort and then smirked suggestively, “Princess Ling Yun cares this much for a mere stable boy—could it be… he’s especially gifted?”
The remark was laden with innuendo, and the crowd couldn’t help but glance at Lu An’s body.
The small stable boy knelt there, trembling, too frightened to even lift his head.
“Hah! Only someone indecent would see indecency everywhere,” the Crown Prince stormed over, furious, pointing at Princess Yangshi as he shouted, “A woman like you, who disgraces her own family, is unmatched! Anyone who marries you would be better off jumping off a building!”
Princess Yangshi was not one to back down, and the two of them immediately began exchanging insults, their crude language completely unbecoming of noble royals.
Su Baiyue ignored their argument. Right now, she was frustrated that she couldn’t just throw the cowering male lead into battle to kill and humiliate his enemies. But she couldn’t do that yet—if she sent him off now, he’d just be marching to his death. She still had one more powerful dose of motivation left to administer.
Under the curious gazes of the crowd, Su Baiyue maintained her cold expression as she calmly took the male lead back to the Weinan palace, quietly preparing for what was to come.
The incident of the two princesses fighting over a stable boy at the Prince of Xingyuan’s estate spread like wildfire. The Crown Prince, who had witnessed everything, sank into deep worry and melancholy.
Su Baiyue, on the other hand, had no time to care about the Crown Prince’s brooding. She was busy playing her cold and aloof character, fully committing to her path of self-destruction.
Princess Ling Yun’s role as the male lead’s first love, “Bai Yueguang,” existed solely to crush and humiliate him, driving him to reach his full potential.
After pulling the stable boy from the stables, Su Baiyue made him her personal attendant.
In these chaotic times, it was common for noblewomen to have several personal attendants around them, much like modern-day bodyguards. In the past, Princess Ling Yun had disdained men and preferred to be attended by women. But now that Su Baiyue had taken control of this body, in order to keep the male lead from being poisoned by Princess Yangshi, she had no choice but to make this move.
“Stable boy, go sweep the courtyard,” Jing Wen instructed, pointing her chin toward Lu An as she stood guard at the entrance of the main hall.
The large courtyard was lightly covered in snow, far too vast for one person to sweep alone. Obediently, Lu An picked up the broom and began to sweep.
Inside the house, Su Baiyue huddled under the blankets, contemplating her next move.
Soon, she would be betrothed to the Crown Prince, cutting ties with Lu An completely. After that, the male lead’s glorious path would finally begin.
In the original novel, there wasn’t much detail about Princess Ling Yun’s interactions with Lu An, only that her disdain and cruelty toward him had driven him to fight for recognition. In a way, she was like poison to him—once consumed, it seared through his entire being, from the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet.
Outside, the sound of sweeping snow filled the air, and Su Baiyue remembered something. She called for Jing Wen, “The weather is too cold, and the fish in the rear mountain’s pond won’t survive well. Send someone to bring a few buckets of hot water to warm the river. I’ll check on it later.”
Jing Wen, unfazed by Su Baiyue’s absurd request, praised her for her compassionate heart, calling her a goddess descended to earth.
As Su Baiyue’s number one fan, Jing Wen was utterly blinded by her mistress’s breathtaking beauty, so much so that she would spout flattery with her eyes wide open.
Su Baiyue peeked out from behind the window frame, watching as the male lead set down his broom and fetched hot water from the kitchen before leaving the courtyard.
Sending Lu An to the rear mountain was a deliberate move. There, he would meet his first follower, Wei Sa, the legitimate eldest son of the prestigious Wei’an palace.
Su Baiyue struggled under the covers for over half an hour before finally throwing them off and sitting up. Shivering, she dressed herself properly, then sat primly and called for Jing Wen.
The Weinan palace was equipped with underground heating systems to ensure the frail Su Baiyue could recover in comfort. Unfortunately, even that was too much for the weak and sickly Princess Ling Yun. Despite the cold, she insisted on wearing her ethereal white robes, playing the role of the immortal fairy. If only people knew how much she longed to bundle herself up like a snowball!
Stiffly, Su Baiyue climbed into the carriage and headed to the rear mountain.
The scene at the rear mountain was quite lively. A group of men sat around a fire, watching as Lu An boiled water and poured it into the river. Enraged by the absurdity of it all, one of them grabbed the bucket from Lu An and threw it on the ground.
“That Princess Ling Yun is too much! No matter how much hot water you pour, the river will always be cold. She’s clearly tormenting you!”
Lu An knew the river water couldn’t be warmed, but since it was her order, he had to carry it out.
Silently, the stable boy bent down, picked up the bucket, and sat by the fire again, waiting for the water to heat.
“This isn’t right. I can’t let you suffer like this. If the Weinan palace can’t treat you well, my Wei’an palace will take you in! Don’t worry, Brother Lu, I’ll treat you like my own sibling. As long as I have food, you’ll never go hungry!”
Earlier, Lu An had saved Wei Sa, the eldest son of the Wei’an palace, from drowning in the river. Grateful for his life, Wei Sa couldn’t bear to see his savior suffer like this.
“Who are you planning to demand justice from?” a cold voice interrupted from nearby. Wei Sa, full of righteous indignation, turned around and saw a woman standing by the silk-draped carriage, her veiled hat blowing in the wind, revealing her jade-like face.
The beauty of Princess Ling Yun was renowned throughout the land. Though Wei Sa wasn’t interested in women, even he had heard of her. However, he hadn’t paid much attention—until now. At this moment, one look at the stunning woman before him, and he immediately guessed who she was.
“I, I…” Wei Sa stammered, his mind a complete mess. “I-I’m just helping Brother Lu heat the water!”
Flushing red, Wei Sa bent down and frantically threw more branches into the fire. The flames roared, but he continued feeding the fire with such speed that his movements became a blur.
Su Baiyue stepped onto the white silk that had been laid out along the riverbank, her gaze drifting toward the cold river.
“Princess, this river is a natural spring. It’s impossible to heat it…” Wei Sa summoned the courage to speak up again, walking over to Su Baiyue.
Su Baiyue gave him a slow glance, then, with an imperious stride, returned to her carriage. She extended two fingers to part the curtain of the carriage.
The weather was too cold—she could only bear to extend two fingers, no more.
“Throw him out.”
“Yes,” Jing Wen signaled to the guards behind her.
“Princess, I am the eldest son of the Wei’an palace—mffmff…” Wei Sa’s protest was cut short as he was dragged away. Meanwhile, Lu An stood there, holding the bucket, staring dazedly at the carriage.
Throughout the entire ordeal, he hadn’t said a single word.
Su Baiyue feared that she had humiliated the male lead so much that he had retreated into himself.
“You, come here,” Su Baiyue said, her fingers still gripping the carriage curtain, her delicate, jade-like fingers gleaming.
Lu An swallowed hard, set down the bucket, and walked toward her.
Before Su Baiyue could speak, the previously hunched and fragile man suddenly stood tall, lifted his head, and, without warning, licked her fingers.
Su Baiyue: !!!
Shocked, she immediately pulled her hand back. The boy gazed up at her, his expression dazed and questioning. His dark eyes were clear, but moist, like a puppy’s.
“Tie your hair back,” she said, tossing the command over her shoulder as she quickly retreated into the carriage.
Waaaah! She had turned the male lead into a dog! Only dogs lick things the moment they see them!
…
The hair that had once covered half of Lu An’s face had been cut away by Princess Yangshi. Now, he tied the rest up with a hair ribbon, revealing his flawless face. The maids in the courtyard were all stunned by his beauty.
“The weather’s so cold. Here, Brother Lu, have some tea to warm up.”
“What tea? He should have some pastries to fill his belly instead.”
The maids gathered around Lu An, all vying for his attention as he silently continued to sweep the snow.
“Princess, the Crown Prince is here. The Lady has asked you to meet with him,” Jing Wen said excitedly, lifting her skirt as she entered the courtyard, her voice louder than usual in her delight.
The maids scattered like birds.
Jing Wen, passing Lu An, suddenly stopped and stared at him in shock. “Y-you’re…”
“Sister Jing Wen,” Lu An replied, his voice husky. After just over a month of care, the stable boy’s health had improved significantly, and his face had become even more handsome.
Jing Wen swallowed hard and fled under Lu An’s gaze.
Oh heavens! No wonder her mistress insisted on bringing this stable boy back! A face like that—it was irresistible, even for an old lady like her!
But… had the Princess really not done anything strange with him?